Yuen

That's a good point James! I forgot about insurance. I guess a 318 will be cheaper to insure. Isuzu: Insurance aside, have a look at this thread regarding fuel consumption, it gives you some sort of idea of what to expect. I guess what I'm saying is, just because the engine is smaller doesn't mean it'll be easier on petrol. http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....showtopic=14858

To add to what ecko said above, there is also at least one hole on the driver's side - around where the pedals are. Lift the carpets and you should spot it. I can't remember exactly but there might be a plug in place. I've run wires through to the engine bay before. E36 Coupe & Sedan use the same front and rear bumper, and sideskirts. The Bentley is a must-own. I'm actually considering selling mine, hmm.

No problem. Just be aware that the cooling system is a common overhaul item on a high mileage BMW, so check if the previous owners have done it.

Awesome So which wheels are on the car now? How wide are the Beyerns/Alpinas? Also I'm wondering how much each one weighs, seeing that both don't have a reputation for being light. No The 6 spoke design just doesn't do it for me. I rank those wheels as an improvement from bottlecaps but in general on the E34 I like 5 spokes (Schnitzer, Throwing Stars) or lots of spokes (ie: Style 5, Alpinas). Lip should preferably be polished, and wide... and must accompany any mesh design.

Beautiful wheels!

Any mileage requirements? At $6k you are looking at high mileage examples - at least 100,000km. In general: 1991/1992 E36 = No airbags. ABS. 1993 E36 = Driver airbag. ABS. 1994 onwards E36 = Driver and passenger airbag. ABS. To get a 1994 onwards E36 with $6k you're looking at E36 320i, 325i, 323i and 328i. All will be high mileage examples - recommend 323i or 328i as it has decent torque/power to haul around the heavy chassis. They have the M52 engine, which produces more low end torque which should be better for petrol consumption. E36 320i (at least the earlier ones, I had a 1992) has bad petrol consumption (no better than 325i). You are not going to get a decent manual E36 for $6k. Maybe a 318, but I didn't list it above because I think it doesn't have enough power for the E36 chassis. Not knocking the 318 guys - just my opinion. For what it's worth though, 320 and 318 will be similar in acceleration but 320 will have worse petrol consumption. If you go auto, which is likely - be aware that Japanese E36 imports with the JATCO transmission will probably have the 'Jatco jerk' where when cold, the gearbox hangs on to 1st gear for longer than usual then abruptly shifts to 2nd. Doesn't seem to be detrimental to the transmission though - just annoying.

Paul, I am surprised you like those wheels, seeing that you dislike E36s. Some E36s came with that wheel, minus the dish. Simon, did you have to do anything to the wheels seeing they were for an E39, from memory you need to use hubcentric rings to mount E39 wheels on the E34?

Have you seen the NZ New Estoril Blue one on TradeMe? http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...n-142420174.htm

Braeden, are the side indicators on your E36 323 facelift or pre-facelift? Reason I ask is because the front grills aren't a good indicator of facelift or not, as people who have had fender benders change them, sometimes facelift people go for pre-facelift ones not knowing the difference. Either that, or maybe the car was registered in 1997 when it should have been a late 1996? AFAIK, 1997 should definitely be facelift. Facelift grills = more classy, car looks newer with more chrome, closer to E46 look. Pre-facelift grills = more aggressive. Just depends on which look you're going for, really.

The 1999 Violet one eh? It looks like a good deal. I had similar thoughts about the transmission.

True, have seen round shift handles on pre-facelifts - usually those close to the facelift year ie: 1996. But have never seen a facelift with a T handle (or as you guys say, L handle). To clarify, there are pre-facelifts with digital heater control panels. So not to be taken as a guide to whether the care is facelift or not. Facelifts generally have digital ones but it seems to also depend on the country of origin. For example 1996 E36s from Japan have digital, while some 1996 NZ New E36s have analog.

No E36 got a double VANOS engine. The exterior has been covered above - engine wise, facelift 6 cylinder engines will be M52 which have the oil cap towards the front of the car rather than towards the engine. They will only be available as 320, 323 or 328.

+1

Awesome. I read the reviews when the E60 M5 just came out, they said 19.5L/100km, I thought that was a lot. I'm sure it was worth every cent for you to train your right foot to 'moderate' the throttle though I'm assuming you use 98?

Hahaha too true, I love how people say 'I get xxx km from a tank' when it should be km/litre! 90L tank is huge, is that what the 7 series have?

The car looks great! NZ New? The wheels look ok, definitely aggressive but not sure if they suit the E39, more suited towards a boxier car like the E34.

Ouch! That number is higher than the E60 M5's! E36 320i with M50 (non-VANOS) used to get about 11.5L/100km with mixed driving and ~50% city, 50% motorway. Fuel was 95 (90% of the time) or 98.

That's an interesting comment Martyn. I've been buying them for years and everyone else I know acknowledges that they're a good 'investment'. Why would anyone NOT want one? You can recoup the cost of the book with the cost of a couple of meals or movies.

As mr E34 has said... at the end of the day it's your car! The only reason the Beyern is nice is the dish... otherwise the Alpina wins hands down, they are more appropriate for a 5 IMO - gives class to the luxury cruiser. Now if the Alpinas had a fair amount of dish, that would be perfect.

Hot! Oozes class. I like them better than the Beyerns.

Yup sounds like the light box.

Greg, yours sounds like it uses fibre optics, same as the E39.

Doh! Glad to hear you got it sorted one way or the other.

Glenn, working at 3am on a Sunday? Now that's dedication!! I will keep checking back on this thread... it's a very cool project.

Don't think you need new wheels, it looks awesome as it is. But if you do, I guess go for something with dish. Details on brakes?